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@uitrit ftatrs gettati, @trig THOMASv A. ,SLCKf OF PEORIA lCOUNTY, lLLlNOIS.

l Letters .Patent No. 72,097, dated December 10, 1867.

IMPROVED STARE-HOLDER FOR RAILROAD-GARS.

'Be it known that I, THOMAS A. Snack, ofthe county ot Peoria, and State of Illinois, have invented' a new Vand useful Improvement in Railway0ais. ora certainapparatus attached to dat ears to adapt them to dilierent requirements, as either coal ears or staked cnrs; and I do lier eloy'declare that -the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot the constriietion and operation of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part 'of this specification, in which- Figure 1 yis a perspective -view as a coal-car.

Figure 2,'a longitudinal elevation as a. staked cnr.

Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, diagrams of revolving staple.

Figure 8, staple-plate. l

Figure 9, perspective view of revolving staple; and I Figure 1'0, staple-holt.

My invention consists in uniting the ordinary dat car, coal-ear, and' staked car into one vehicle, which, by a simple arrangement of parts, is convertible into either kind out' car in live minutes time'.

To the ordinary dat car I attach ten revolving staples, D E-F G H, hereafter dese1'ibed,live staples on a side, at nearly equal distances, (iig. 1,)- euch having square sockets andmortises in the sides for the admission either of stanchions ef coal-side, A B, or standards or stakes, d e f gv h, say eight to ten feet long, and lying down alongside of car horizont-ally when `not wanted, (fig. 2.) 'The revolving staples D E F G Il, are ot`.iron; say six inches or more square, by, say, about' three inches thick, figs. (3,14, 5, 6.) 4'lhe staple revolveson o. bolt, a, through its centre, which bolt passes through a plak, c, bolted to side of car. Thisbolt (tig. 10) has a shoulder atsnch a distance from its head as to allowfree -motion to the'revolving staple, and should also have a washer next to staple. Each staple has a square socket, k, in its upper side (or` side uppermost when required for coal or gravel) to admit stanenions of coal-sides, B, andiis 4also perforated with square mortise, n, (Iig. 9,) large enough to admit a good, stout stake, and just large enough to allow the stake to slide in` it. There is also a bolt-hole, b, through staple, standard, or stake, through which a thumb-screw, j, passes into a thread, m, in stapleplate, c, when the standards or stakes aielreq'uired to be'elevated to convert car into a staked car, as indicated by the dotted lines in each diagram, (liga. 1 and 2.) When not in use, the staple-holtsj are inserted into threads or holes inside of c ar, or may hang by small `chain freni underneath theV car jjjj. The stakes or standards have each a stop at their lower ends, either cross-pieces or rings of iron, to prevent their sliding entirely ont ot' m'ortises. There arealso stops or irons i i in side ot' car, on which to rest stakes marked e and g. The others will lie 'on these two stakes. i

y It will be seen by the drawing that the centre staple F'has two sockets for coal-sides stanchions, and the others buit one each; also, that the stake-bolts j, or,rather, the bolt-holes' b b'b b b are varied as to position in staple. AThis is merely for convenience of placing the stakes in the best positions when not in use;,and which will be self-evident by reference to drawings. Staple-plate c is` merely an iron plate, rather wider each way` than thestaples, and from one-half to three-quarters ot' an inch in thickness, and fastened to side of car by a bolt in each corner, bringing its surface ilush with the eaves or ends of door ot' car, designed to prevent wearing ca r by rotating of staple.

'lhe eoa1sidesA B are niadein two sections, with three stanchions on each side of each section; the

middle revolving staple F receivingrtwo 'stanchions,'onc ot' each section. They are madesimilar to ordinary coul-sides. When not wanted, they arc,of course, removable.

To operate this car, if wanted for coal, gravel, &e., place the eoalsides A B in position, inserting the stanchions in the sockets 'koi' revolving staples D E F G H. It' wanted for'staked car, turn the staples so,` that the stakes d cfg h archi-ought upright, as by' direction indicated by dotted lines, then raising them 'as high as they will'go in the niortise; then 'insert the thumbscrewsJ in the holes IJ' b b b i1, thcnee through the corresponding holes in stakes, and into threadl min staple-plate, c, and the change is eiected. .l It is as well -to observe that the loss of stakes annually, in the ordinary form of staked ears, (where they 'are all loose, and when not wanted are thrown aside, a'nd are tlins liable to theft and destruetion,) is a considerable item in expenses of ruiming railways. In this plan this loss is prevented. The stake `is made smallest at th'e lower end, say for about one-,third of its length, so that the stake will not ['all out or be removed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,xis The combination ot' revolving staple, stakes, and divisional eoahsides, as described and for the purpose set forth. i

Done this 11th day of May, A. D. 1867.

THOMAS A. SLACK.

Witnesses:

EDMUND THUaLow, J. W. COCHRAN. 

